Cermele: The Quickest Way to Lose Your Rod?

Camo Rods

I had blogged while away at the SHOT Show that there was not a rod or lure in sight. I was wrong. At the time, I hadn't yet run across the booth that makes everything from toaster ovens to unicycles to hamster wheels in your favorite Mossy Oak camo pattern. It was at said booth that I found the camo-covered rods pictured at left. "Novely, novelty, novelty," I thought. But then I was approached by Dennis Ball, who makes these rods and sells them at usacustomrods.com.

Dennis explained that the idea came about when he got requests to build rods with a matte finish that wouldn't glint in the sunlight. He built them, and they became pretty popular among cast-and-blasters who would spend mornings duck hunting and afternoons chasing trout and redfish. According to Dennis, inbound ducks can catch sight of the glare on rods laying next to a blind and will bail out. He figured if the plain matte finish worked, why not make them camo? He also told me that guides in certain Canadian lakes that are crystal clear love them. He noted that these same guides request that their clients where nothing bright or shiny on board, as the fish can spot them.

Finally, because the camo pattern gets on the rods via dipping, they're completely sealed and will not corrode. So I'll tell you what: I'm not going to say if I buy all this or not. I'll chime in on comments later. You tell me if this is genius or gimmick. I will say that my biggest concern would be that I'd lay the rod down to take a leak and never find it again.